


Tell Me A Story

by flowerfan



Series: Season 6 Reaction Fics [20]
Category: Glee
Genre: 2020, 6x13 reaction fic, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 13:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just a few weeks before their premiere, and friends and family are making plans to be there.  But not everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell Me A Story

"Tell me a story," Kurt said, curled up in bed, one arm shoved under his pillow and the other tracing circles on Blaine's shoulder. It's a game they've played forever, exchanging tales as they lie in bed, or to pass the time on a long train ride. Blaine once joked to Rachel that Kurt made it up because he sometimes didn't know what to say to people. Later that night, casually knocking their knees together on the train ride home, Kurt confessed that Blaine was right.

Tonight it's a little different. They aren't just home from a date, or gossiping about their castmates. And Kurt has had plenty of things to say tonight. It's Blaine that has been silent.

Their production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is due to open in two weeks. Burt had offered to take on the task of organizing a trip to NYC for the Lima crew to see the show on opening night. He called them this afternoon to report that there would indeed be a crowd there from their hometown to cheer them on - Will and Emma, Sam, even Dave Karofsky and his boyfriend. Carole and Burt, of course, and Blaine's mom. But not Blaine's dad.

Kurt thought that he had gotten over being angry at Paul for the way he treated Blaine and Pam. There had been times over the years when things seemed to be going better, when Paul was around more, when he seemed to actually care about them. Hell, for most of Blaine's senior year in high school he had acted like a decent guy. But Kurt's anger had come back tenfold this afternoon. 

Burt had tried to explain why Paul couldn't make it, the strain in his voice evident even through the tinny speakerphone, but Kurt saw Blaine's face fall and he knew the reason didn't matter. They spent the rest of the afternoon pretending nothing was wrong, running lines and making an easy dinner, but by nightfall Blaine had closed down, blank and distant. It made Kurt's heart ache.

He tried to console Blaine, to find something to say that would fix it, even though he knew there was nothing he could do. No amount of "I love you's" from Kurt - or even from Burt - could make this better. 

So when they were safely dug in under the covers, pajamas on and lights off, Kurt took a chance.

"Tell me a story," he said again, after Blaine just looked at him blankly. Kurt ran his hand down Blaine's arm to where Blaine's hand was fisted against his chest, and took it in his own, rubbing a fingertip over the smooth metal of his ring. "Come on, I want to hear."

Blaine blinked at Kurt in the dim light, and shook his head. Kurt shifted closer, twining a foot around Blaine's leg. "I've got you," he said softly. "You can do it."

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them, a tear slid down his cheek on to his pillow. He cleared his throat, and when Kurt nodded, he began. "Once there was a little boy. He lived with his mother and father and his big brother Cooper. He had crazy curly hair that his brother always teased him about. He liked superheroes and playing ball and riding horses. He cooked with his mom and went to football games with his dad." Blaine's voice broke off, but Kurt just pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, and pulled him close to his chest.

"Keep going, baby."

Blaine sniffled and cleared his throat, and then continued. "The little boy also liked to sing and dance, but only alone in his room, where no one could see him. As the boy got older, and his brother moved away, things changed. His father wasn't always home, and this made his mother sad." Blaine stopped, shaking his head. "This is dumb. Why am I doing this?"

"It's not dumb. Tell me what happened next."

Blaine sighed, and took a deep breath. "Fine. So, the boy was growing up, and knew he was different. He decided not to hide it anymore. And he wanted to be himself outside of his room, too, so he asked his friend to go to the school dance with him. And he got beat up."

Kurt rubbed Blaine's back, wondering when this part of the story had ceased to be the worst part. "Then what happened?" he asked gently.

"Can I skip some parts?" Blaine asked, raising up on an elbow to look at Kurt.

"You're telling the story," Kurt said mildly, relieved to see some life coming back into Blaine's face.

"All right. Well, the boy recovered, time went by, and it turned out that he was pretty good at making music."

Kurt smiled as Blaine got into the rhythm of his story. "That he was." 

"And soon he had met the love of his life, swept him off his feet with his charm and good looks, and after some twists and turns, they were happily married and living the dream in New York City."

Kurt nodded, but didn't say anything. He knew, unfortunately, that there was more to come.

"But no matter how many good things happened to him, love and friends and career success, his father still couldn't be happy for him," Blaine said bitterly. "When the boy had show choir competitions in high school, his dad never came, saying kids' shows just weren't his thing. When he performed in college, his dad always had more important things to do. And when his son graduated college and, together with his husband, were about to premier a groundbreaking new play, well, he couldn't fucking make that either."

Blaine drew his gaze away from the ceiling and met Kurt's gaze, his eyes filling with tears again. "Even Brittany's parents are coming, Kurt. B-B-Brittany's parents!" His voice was breaking, and he struggled to catch his breath as his tears began to fall. "We hardly even know them, but they're coming all the way from Lima. Mason and Madison are coming from Chicago. Wes is taking a f-f-fourteen hour flight from Beijing. Why can't _my own d-d-dad_ be there?" Kurt pulled him close as he began to cry in earnest. "I don't understand. Why doesn't he l-love me? What did I do wrong?"

"Shh, honey, shh," Kurt soothed, rubbing Blaine's back over and over. "You didn't do anything wrong. You know you didn't." Kurt stroked a hand through Blaine's hair and just let him cry, relieved to hear him talk about it at last, to see him let go of what he had kept bottled up inside for so long. "You're okay. I'm here. You're okay."

A few minutes later, Blaine finally calmed down. He sat up and found a tissue to wipe off his face. Kurt put a hand on his thigh, waiting as he settled himself. With a deep, shuddering breath Blaine sighed, and looked down at Kurt curiously. "This crossed the line for you too, didn't it?" he said, his voice rough.

"What do you mean?"

Blaine slid back down next to Kurt, his eyes red rimmed but clear now. "Usually you say things like 'he loves you in his own way,' or 'he'll come around.' You didn't say that today."

Kurt huffed out a laugh. "You noticed that, huh?" Kurt had grown tired of making excuses for Paul. It seemed like Blaine had, too.

Blaine shrugged a shoulder. "I did." He found Kurt's hand under the blankets and pulled it to his lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being honest. For knowing what I needed." 

Kurt contemplated his husband, strong and determined even in the face of his pain. "I love you like crazy, Blaine Anderson-Hummel. You _are_ a damn good musician, and you _are_ ridiculously charming, and you _do_ sweep me off my feet on a fairly regular basis. And no matter what that asshole thinks, our show is going to take the theater world by storm. Two weeks from now, no one will be able to stop talking about what we have accomplished. Together."

"So you're saying our story has a happy ending?" Blaine asked, smiling softly as he shifted closer to Kurt, tucking his head onto his shoulder with a contented sigh.

"Of course it will, but not yet. This, my love, is just the beginning."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not wed to the headcanon of Blaine's dad being absent (or, as in this fic, kind of a jerk), but this is one way it could go. 
> 
> This may be my last Glee reaction fic - please let me know if you've enjoyed them. I have certainly enjoying writing and sharing them with you.


End file.
